Life-saving device.



R. TREVISAN.

LIFE SAVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1912.

1,029,729. Patented June 18,1912.

WITNESSES INVENTOR @NITED STATES PATENT QI I ICE,

RICHARD TREVISAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

LIFE-SAVING- DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD TREVISAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore? city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is in the nature of a float for towing life preservers.

In sea disasters there is always a great hesitancy on the part of persons left on board without accommodations on lifeboats to trust themselves to life preservers, usually on account of .the fear of being carried down by the whirlpool or vortex caused by the sinking wreck.

The object of the present invent-ion is to eliminate this danger by providing means for floating and towing away from the wreck those persons who cannot be cared for in the life boat-s so that they may be carried away to a distance where they may be supported indefinitely by life preservers which they have put on before leaving the wreck.

With this object in view the invention consists in an improved buoyancy tube pro vided with means for the attachment there of to life boats or other towing means, and. for attachment thereto of the life preservers by which persons are supported, all the parts thereof being constructed, arranged and combined in the manner hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically claimed.

In order that the construction and operation of my invention may be readily comprehended, I will now proceed to describe the same, having reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates an approved embodiment of the invention and in which Figure 1 represents a view in side elevation of a construction embodying my invention, a small portion being broken out showing a part in section the device being shown with one life preserver attached and ready for the attachment of other life preservers and for launching. Fig. 2 represents a view in end elevation illustrating the device as afloat and with life preservers attached.

Like reference characters mark the same parts wherever they occur in the drawings.

Referring specifically to the drawing 5 indicates the body of my improved float Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Application filed April 29, 1912. Serial No. 693,959.

which is substantially tubular in form and composed of a plurality of separate sections or compartments, 6, 6, etc., the number to correspond to the length of the structure, each part being separately water and air tight and all of the parts being joined together to form one tubular body of suitable length.

Each section is provided with a nozzle 7 for the attachment of suitable pump or inflating means whereby each may be separately inflated to make it buoyant and float able without reference to any other section. To the outside of each section is secured in any suitable manner, staples 8 to receive longitudinal ropes 9, the structure being completed by the addition at each end, if desired, of a conical section 10 along the sides of which the ropes 9 are led, coming together at their points where tow lines 11. extend from both ends whereby the float may be towed in either direction. Around the sections are secured bands 12 of any suitable material such as brass, aluminum, or other suitable metal, or even of thin, light material other than metal. To each band 12 on each side of the central perpendicular longitudinal plane of the float is secured a flexible strip 13 of a material similar to that of the bands, or of any other suitable material, provided at their outer ends with suitable hooks or fasteningrdevices 14 by which to secure lite preservers 15.

In operation the separate sections are inflated on board the wreck, life preservers secured upon the persons, the persons seated or laid upon planks and the float and persons launched overboard. The float can then be attached, by either end towing rope and towed away from the wreck to a suitable distance to avoid all danger of being carried down by the wreck when it sinks, the persons floated by the life preservers being carried along. By this means many valuable lives may be saved which would otherwise be lost, even with a full supply of life preservers.

While I have specifically described the construction, arrangement, and material of the several parts comprising my invention, I desire it to be understood that slight changes and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having; thus fully described my invention, flexible strips on each side of the float and 10 What I claim as new and desire to secure by means for securing life preservers to the Letters Patent of the United States isends of the strips. 7

The hereindescribed float comprising a In testimony whereof I aflix my signaplurality of hollow inflatable sections joined ture in presence of two Witnesses.

end to end, conical end sections, means for RICHARD TREVISAN. attaching inflating means separately to each W'itnesses: section, longitudinal ropes extending along E. XVAL'ION BREWINGTON, the complete float, tow-lines at each end MARY M. MAGRAW.

copies of this patent in'afy be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Conlini's'sioner of Patents, Washington, Ii. 0." 

